We turn New York's waste into raw material for people who make things.
WRAP is a nonprofit led by artists and designers. We source plastic waste from collectors and cleanups, develop community-scale ways to process it, and put the resulting materials in the hands of artists, designers, architects, circular manufacturers and craftspeople, with guidance on how to use them well.
From waste stream to studio
Plenty of plastic gets collected. Very little reaches the people who could build with it. WRAP works on every link in between.
Connect with waste
We work with collectors, community cleanups and businesses to capture clean, sortable plastic before it's landfilled.
Make it a raw material
We develop practical, community-led processing methods that turn sorted waste into consistent, usable stock.
Get it to makers
We match materials to artists, designers, architects, circular manufacturers and craftspeople who need them.
Help it get used well
We share what we've learned: how each material cuts, joins, finishes and holds up, so projects succeed.
Recovered plastic, ready to work with
Made for art, design, furniture and architecture. Mostly #2 HDPE and #5 PP, sorted by type and color.
Granulate
Shredded, washed flake sorted by type and color.
For: molding, casting, terrazzo-style surfaces, material studies
Sheet goods
Pressed panels. Ask us about current sizes and thicknesses.
For: furniture, cladding, signage, installations
Dimensional lumber
Beams, posts and dowels. Ask us about available profiles.
For: framing, benches, planters, outdoor structures
Pellets
Uniform pellets for consistent melt and flow.
For: injection molding, 3D-printing filament, small-batch manufacturing
Until WRAP has its own equipment, our materials are produced in Precious Plastic NYC's Bronx workshop under a services agreement. How we manage that relationship
Who we work with
Artists
Material with a story, for sculpture, installation and public work.
Designers
Stock for prototypes, products and furniture.
Architects
Panels and lumber for interiors, pavilions and site furnishings.
Circular manufacturers
Sorted feedstock and pellets for small-batch production.
Craftspeople
Workable material and know-how for the shop bench.
Hands on, in the community
Our members bring circular practice to people of all ages, at cleanups, schools, festivals and studios.
Workshops
Identify, sort, shred and press plastic, and design with what comes out.
Arts and crafts activities
Drop-in making with recovered plastic for families and public events.
Outreach and talks
Programs for schools and community groups, and talks by our members on circular materials in art, design and architecture.
Materials recovery at cleanups
On-site sorting teams keep recyclable plastic out of cleanup trash bags and send it on to be remade.
Job training in circular practices
Waste ends up disproportionately in lower-income communities. We're building toward a program that teaches sorting, processing and fabrication skills that turn waste into income.
Our first season · May–October 2026
With Guardians of Flushing Bay & Precious Plastic NYCAbout one pound in four was plastic we could reclaim. This first season was funded through a grant to Precious Plastic NYC. We'll add each new season's numbers here as we log them.
Work we've been part of
Flushing Bay materials recovery and education
Our first season, in partnership with Guardians of Flushing Bay and Precious Plastic NYC. Together we held six cleanups and four workshops, collecting about 600 lbs of trash, 150 lbs of it reclaimable plastic.
The project also built a plastic ID scanner and a washing system with Marine Debris Field Kit, and turned recovered plastic into carabiners for Guardians of Flushing Bay volunteers.
Funded through a grant to Precious Plastic NYC. Equipment is owned by Precious Plastic NYC.
Building it one step at a time
We're a young organization. Here's what we're doing now, what we're working toward next, and what we're building for.
- Producing granulate, sheet, lumber and pellets on partner equipment
- Workshops, outreach, arts activities and talks
- Recovering material at community cleanups
- A public home: a seasonal materials lab and workshop space open to visitors
- A growing membership, volunteer corps and independent board
- Broader funding from donors, members and grants
- WRAP's own processing equipment
- Job training in circular practices
- A community drop-off and processing hub for locally recovered plastic
Need material? Have waste? Running a cleanup?
Tell us what you're working on. We read every message.
Help us build it
WRAP is a startup nonprofit. Every member, volunteer and donor makes it more of a community organization.
Donate
Gifts go to WRAP's own account and fund programs, materials and our path to a space of our own. Tax-deductible.
Email us to giveJoin our board
We're looking for independent directors, especially with nonprofit finance, fundraising, legal or arts-administration experience.
Meet the board